How To Get Started on Your Book Cover Design

I feel relieved to have finally picked a title for my book. I did a lot of brainstorming and polling people, and after all that I ended up with the original title I had come up with!

Was it a waste of time to do all this research? No, not at all. This perspective makes me think like an entrepreneur. I am not just a writer. I am an author-entrepreneur-publisher. And as such, I need to write books for the market and take into account my readers views.

This is also a more collaborative process, and it’s always good to get feedback.

I need to be thinking about marketing and publishing while I am also writing. Although when you are writing, it’s probably best to just focus on the writing and get the words done first to stop getting overwhelmed! (Just from my personal experience, especially when it’s your first book!).

Getting Started on Book Cover Design

So now that title is complete, I need to start thinking about book cover design. I spent some time trawling through Amazon and books that sell well in my category to research book covers.

I have hired a professional cover designer who asked me to complete a brief.

I am a control freak and do like to do most things on my terms so handing this task over to the designer has been a bit daunting. This is why it’s important to complete the brief as fully as possible. This is the authors chance to provide input. But then you need to back off and let the professionals do what they are good at!

I did have one specification. And that was that I want a cover that sells. Not just a cover that looks good!

Remember, the book cover is part of your marketing toolkit. It needs to grab the reader’s attention.

The design brief will help the designer to provide a cover that is best suited for your book.

For example, you will certainly not see a scary horror picture or haunted houses on my non-fiction personal development book!

Here is what I provided and what you should be thinking about when you are at the stage of designing your cover.

Provide a short review/ blurb of your book:

My book is a practical and action-packed guide to helping you to find your passions, live on purpose and unleash your potential. It will help you to create more happiness in every aspect of your life when you recognise how to live a values-based life.

It shows practical ways to change your life so that you actively own it and guide it rather than being in the passenger seat of someone’s else life.

It explains how happiness is about achieving balance in every aspect of your life including your health and well being. Helping you to live life to the max and do work that matters to you and brings you to life.

Who are your target readers?

Those people unhappy in their current jobs but don’t know what else to do.

Those who seem to ‘have it all’ but are still unhappy with their lives.

People who know they have more potential inside them but don’t feel their current job or life allow them to fully express themselves authentically.

People who have lost the excitement in their lives and feel they are living on autopilot.

Corporate professionals unhappy in their jobs

Office workers who hate their jobs

People who want to do something different

Who are competing authors?

Jeff Goins

Tony Robbins

Tim Ferris

What do Amazon charts you want to be featured in?

Kindle>non fiction> self help>happiness

Kindle>business and money>business life>personal success

Kindle>business and money>job hunt>job hunting

What brand values do you want to portray?

I want my books to be known as practical, straight talking, honest, easy to implement, helpful, authority figure, full of bold and brave action.

My brand represents being passionate about helping everyone live to their highest potential, encouraging everyone to share their unique gift and helping people to understand that they have a lot to contribute and that they can make changes at any stage in their lives.